There is a need in the medical field and elsewhere to make safe, substantially aseptic connections between fluid conduits. For example, dialysis blood flow sets require many of such connections in the set-up of a dialysis procedure. Parenteral solution administration sets, blood administration sets, and many similar medical devices have the same requirement. Also, syringes need to penetrate into vials of medication or the like in such a substantially aseptic manner.
As a technical problem, a specific medical device such as a component for connection to a medical set may have a connector of a particular design. Then, with the onset of a medical emergency or other circumstance, it may be necessary to immediately change the medical procedure, which may involve a change of connection on the part of the component. However, in many circumstances, the new medical component to which the connection is to be made may have a connection site that is incompatible with the component connector at hand. In such a circumstance, a new component must be obtained and put into use, all of which can waste critical time and money.
For example, the connector means for obtaining substantially aseptic access between medical components includes (1) spikes or needles that pass through a medical elastomeric diaphragm, which may carry a preformed slit, or which otherwise may be penetrated by the spike cutting through an unslit diaphragm and (2) luer connections in which a tapered, tubular male luer fits into a tapered, tubular female luer socket. Such luer connectors often carry an auxiliary locking feature, and are then typically called a luer lock connector.
Accordingly, in the situation described above, a medical emergency can arise in which a medical set component, for example having a spike, suddenly needs to be connected to a medical component which has a female luer connecter. Since this cannot be accomplished, new, compatible medical components must be brought into play to perform the new medical procedure. That represents a significant disadvantage in medical procedures which require the use of medical sets, syringes, drug vials, sampling containers, and the like.
Also, recent concern has arisen because of the advent of AIDS and other blood-transmissible diseases, in that there is a major need to protect medical personnel from needle sticks as they make and break the many connections between needles and vials, or needles and injection sites on sets, or the like.
In accordance with this invention, a universal connector is provided, which is capable of compatible connection with a wide variety of connection sites, including those sites which utilize an elastomeric diaphragm, as well as female luer-type connection sites. Thus, a medical component which utilizes the connector of this invention is compatible with a wide variety of other medical components to which it may be connected, so that medical procedures can be performed, and quickly varied in their performance when that is needed, without the need to obtain a new set component or the like and to prime it. Because of this, time can be saved which can actually result in the saving of lives, and money can be saved as well.
Additionally, the connector of this invention can be made so that it is very unlikely to accidentally penetrate the skin of the health worker with the consequent risk of disease transmission, so that the universal connector of this invention provides a significant increase in safety over many prior art systems as well as the other advantages.